Gándara, in an interview with the El Paso Times in November, said, "I see this as any other job." She has been the sole police officer in the town since June, the same month the town's mayor, Jesús Manuel Lara, was killed by gunmen. And about two years ago, the local police commander's severed head was found in an ice chest in the center of town. According to the paper, the area under Gándara's watch is known to be basically lawless, and residents hide in their homes after dark.